


The Walking Dead Imagines

by imaginingpotter



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:35:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21571570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginingpotter/pseuds/imaginingpotter
Summary: Imagines from my Tumblr: @messrsmoonee (formerly @ftwdimagines)
Relationships: Dante (Walking Dead TV)/You, Dante x reader, Daryl Dixon/Reader, Daryl Dixon/You, Dwight (Walking Dead)/You, Negan (Walking Dead)/You, Negan/reader, Rick Grimes/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 34





	1. Daryl Dixon Headcanons #1

_Daryl Dixon x Reader; headcanons_

**Word Count:** 1.1k

**Not my gif.**

  * You had known Daryl for a long time before your relationship ever advanced to anything beyond friendship. You thought he was a hotheaded asshole at the quarry, then he started to grow on you at the farm when you saw how determined he was to find Sophia.
  * At the prison you started to feel you were understanding him more and finally seeing who he really was underneath the tough exterior, and by the time you’d gotten to Alexandria he was the most important person in your entire universe.
  * You’d never actually had a proper conversation about what your relationship was. Neither of you had ever so much as uttered the word girlfriend or boyfriend but there was an unspoken understanding that that’s what you were to each other. It was never explicitly stated, but you both knew you were exclusive.
  * You told him that you really cared about him and he returned the sentiment but that was it. For a little while neither of you acted on it until a gradual transition from friends to lovers started.
  * This transition began with one of you subtly gazing at the other for longer than usual, then you started spending a lot more time alone together, you grew more tactile and somewhere along the way coupley behaviours like kissing became normal.
  * But the kissing and affection was more of a private thing. It took _forever_ for anyone in the group to catch on and realise you were a couple because you guys weren’t big on PDA and didn’t feel the need to tell everyone about it.
  * Daryl’s not embarrassed by you or anything, nor you of him, but you’ve just always kept your more intimate moments to yourselves.
  * Daryl has no idea what he’s doing a lot of the time because romance is not something he has much past experience with, if any. Sometimes he feels like he’s in over his head—he’s one of the bravest people you know and yet he’s so nervous sometimes when it comes to expressing himself and showing his love for you.
  * He’ll see the way Rick acts with Michonne, or Glenn with Maggie, and it seems like this relationship stuff comes so naturally to them. They make it look easy. And Daryl feels like he’s not enough, that he’s too clueless and awkward and will never be able to make you happy.
  * But you love Daryl for who he is, not who he thinks he should be. You often have to remind him that he already makes you happy just by being himself. He doesn’t need to try and think about what he should be doing differently because you wouldn’t want to change anything about him.
  * While he does feel insecure a lot of the time, that doesn’t stop him from being incredibly sweet and thoughtful.
  * Daryl was a little tense with affectionate physical contact at first but embraced it very, very quickly. He wasn’t sure he could remember a time earlier in his life when someone had held him and run their fingers through his hair but it easily became one of his most favourite things.
  * For a while he was apprehensive about letting you see his scars. If his shirt was off he’d be careful not to have his back facing you, but obviously he couldn’t keep that up forever. When you did finally get a good look at them he felt incredibly vulnerable but you were gentle and kind, pressing soft kisses to his shoulders and he didn’t know what he was so afraid of in the first place.
  * In the early days of your friendship/relationship, you didn’t always pick up on when he was showing that he liked you. Daryl didn’t really notice it himself either, though. Well, he did, but he didn’t immediately realise that the reason he felt so different toward you was because he loved you as more than a friend.
  * He’d do things like showing you how to tie a certain knot or letting you come with him when he went hunting and showing you the ropes. When he isolated himself at the farm you were pretty much the only person who wouldn’t get chewed out for bothering him. Not the most overtly romantic gestures but coming from Daryl, it meant something.
  * Daryl’s the kind of person who needs his own space from time to time. It’s not that he doesn’t want to spend time with people he cares about but that’s just his personality. You understand that and your relationship works smoothly as a result—you can both be on each other like white on rice one day but the next you’re perfectly happy to have some time to yourselves.
  * Daryl’s always been your rock. He’s incredibly loyal and he’d literally do anything for you.
  * He enjoys going hunting or on runs with just the two of you. Some days you’ll talk for ages, other days you’ll not say a word and just enjoy the silent company. When the opportunity arises you will _get busy_ and Rick will laugh and shake his head when you both come back from the run all relaxed and blissed-out, and it’s obvious what you’d been up to.
  * It might seem weird but it’s kind of fun killing walkers together (only if it’s a manageable amount that you’re used to handling, though. You know when you should be serious).
  * Sometimes he just likes hearing you talk. Usually when you’re trying to fall asleep at night he’ll ask you to tell him about a random topic. Daryl won’t really say much, he just wants to hear your voice. Whether you’re talking about your life before the outbreak or telling him about the life cycle of a glow worm, he’s captivated all the same.
  * Daryl will feel rage if someone even just gives you a dirty look.
  * Whenever you wear his vest it makes him…feel things.
  * Some mornings when he leaves before you wake up, there’ll be a single wild flower on your nightstand and that’s Daryl’s way of saying good morning/I love you.
  * He has never really considered it in great detail before but his mind will occasionally wander and he’ll think about what it would be like if he had kids with you. Daryl’s not particularly fussed either way; if you happened to get pregnant he’d be super happy and love the kid unconditionally, but he’s also content with the way things are.
  * Obviously he’s not happy that the apocalypse happened, that would be certifiably insane. But he knows that if it hadn’t happened he would probably still be that guy he used to be, just following Merle around with no aim in life. If the apocalypse hadn’t happened he never would’ve crossed paths with you or the other people he now considers family, he never would’ve fallen in love for what he’s certain is the first and only time. The world ended, but he ended up with something—or rather, someone—truly priceless that he wouldn’t trade for anything.




	2. Dante x Reader: Open Your Eyes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Request: Why do I still love Dante after the recent episode? 🙃🙃🙃 Idk if you write for him but could I request something for TWD Dante x Alexandrian reader? Something angsty and fluffy maybe? Sorry I can’t think of any good ideas right now which is probably annoying for requests, so if you wanna disregard this request it’s fine lol 😂 thank you

_[The Walking Dead, Season 10] Dante x Reader; requested; contains SPOILERS for season 10 including the midseason finale._

**Word Count:** 4.1k

**Warnings:** Spoilers for 10x08, swearing, sort-of mention of brainwashing, blood + violence.

———

Four months. That’s more than a hundred days. He was here for _four months_ , and nobody suspected a thing. Sure, he was a little bit odd sometimes, but everyone had assumed that that was just his personality. They’d written off his frequent faux pas as him simply being out of practise with socialising after surviving out in the world, alone. They thought he was just quirky. But a Whisperer spy? Nobody could have anticipated that. They all felt so stupid for not seeing it sooner, for not speaking up when something seemed a little off. The group lost Siddiq because of it, and almost lost Rosita and Coco, too.

People were hurt, confused, scared, and angry, but no one felt quite as foolish as Y/N. While everyone else would only interact with Dante when they needed to, she was with him nearly every day. She was the only one, aside from Siddiq, who voluntarily spent a great deal of time with him. If anyone were to notice something was wrong, it should of been her. And she didn’t ignore that fact. Despite Daryl trying to ease her guilt and assure her that she couldn’t have known about Dante being a spy, she knew she messed up.

She had yet to go see Dante, or Rosita. She couldn’t face them just yet, either because of her own guilt or because she was afraid of what she might find. Rosita was like a sister to her and she wouldn’t hold her accountable for something that wasn’t her fault, but Y/N had a feeling that if she looked at Rosita’s face right now—while the pain of Siddiq’s loss was still fresh—she would be overwhelmed.

And Dante. She really didn’t know what to think. All that time they’d spent together, talking late into the night and getting to know each other, was all of that irrelevant now? Were all the words exchanged meaningless? He’d been a little cagey with some of his backstory, but he had divulged a lot of personal information about himself to her. They bonded over their shared interests, forgotten pasts, old memories, even hopes for the future. Was anything that he said actually genuine? Or was it all a ploy so he could get close enough to get information out of her—without her ever even noticing he was doing it? Out of everything that Y/N was feeling, the sting of betrayal hurt the worst. All this time she thought she’d been confiding in a friend, someone she really cared about. It was even starting to seem like there was something more between the two of them. She’d certainly started to feel that way, which was a little startling given that she’d only known the guy for four months. In the current state of the world, it’s hard to trust anyone that quickly, if at all. And yet she did trust him, and she did care about him, maybe even started to love him.

Someone knocked on the front door and Y/N jumped, almost dropping the mug of steaming hot tea. All this stress had made her particularly on edge today, and unfortunately not even her dear friend chamomile could help her now. With a slightly shaky hand she put the mug on the kitchen table and walked to the front door, pulling it open. Daryl stood outside the door, chewing on his lip and staring at his friend with an unreadable expression. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not to ask something.

“Hey,” Daryl greeted in his usual gruff voice.

“Hey. What are…what’s happening at the moment?”

Y/N stared at the porch beneath Daryl’s feet, choosing to focus on the small splinters peeling away from the wooden planks instead of facing him directly. She hated the way everyone had been looking at her since they found out about Dante. They all knew how close she was with him and it was like they were all walking on eggshells around her, waiting for her to break down crying or fly into an unbelievable rage. Honestly, Y/N felt like she could go either way at this point, but she remained outwardly calm.

“He was in the infirmary but Gabe’s puttin’ him in a cell now.”

She’d already known without a doubt that they had Dante confined somewhere, and she wouldn’t be surprised if they had given him a good beating by now—or worse. And she hated that the thought of that made her upset. She shouldn’t give a shit about Dante anymore, not after finding out who he really was and _especially_ not after he killed Siddiq. But she couldn’t help it. As much as she hated herself for feeling this way, she didn’t want Dante to get hurt any more than he probably already was.

Y/N nodded and waited for Daryl to say something else. He wouldn’t have come here just to tell her that.

“He’s askin’ for you.”

Her stomach knotted up but she wasn’t really sure how to react to that statement. She looked up at Daryl to find him already watching her intently, waiting for a reaction from her.

“He’s sayin’ he just wants to talk,” he added.

Daryl could see Y/N’s hesitation.

“If you don’t want to, I get it. But maybe this could help us…” Daryl placed a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder, “You’ve got a better chance at gettin’ him to say anything useful.”

_Ah, and there it is_. They want Y/N to speak to Dante to try and find out where Alpha’s herd is, probably. Of course they wouldn’t let Dante speak to her just because he wanted to. They didn’t exactly owe him any favours.

“Okay,” Y/N sighed.

They walked side by side the whole way to the cell. She put on her best poker face but Daryl could tell she was anxious just from the way she was tapping her fingers on her palms. It was understandable, she had no idea what to expect when she walked in there. She’d be meeting the real Dante for the first time and what scared her was the very real possibility that he was a completely different person to the facade he presented to the Alexandrians, and to her. The notion that he’d been acting the whole time made her feel violated. She’d told him so much about herself, thinking he was someone he clearly wasn’t.

Y/N walked down the brick steps and Daryl opened the door, stepping to the side to let her in first. She hadn’t been in there for quite a while, the last time was when she escorted Negan back after a day’s work. Her eyes immediately found Dante; he was sitting on the cot in the cell, hunched over slightly, but when he heard the door open he snapped his head in their direction and immediately straightened up. Gabriel stood on the other side of the bars with the keys in his hand, having just locked Dante in there a minute earlier. Y/N kept her distance, standing a few feet away with her back almost touching the wall opposite the cell. She looked pointedly at Daryl and Gabriel and they hesitated for a few seconds before Gabriel walked back outside, keys jingling with every step. Daryl squeezed her elbow and gave her a low nod that she knew was meant to convey he’d be in shouting distance if she needed him.

As soon as Daryl closed the door behind himself, Dante was on his feet. He slinked towards the bars separating him from Y/N and gripped the metal, leaning forward, “Hey, Princess.”

Y/N’s stomach churned at his words and she fidgeted uncomfortably. She wasn’t so sure if she was okay having him call her that anymore. Dante’s seemingly ever-present smirk faltered a fraction at this new attitude towards him, even though he saw it coming.

“Guess we’re not friends anymore?” Dante said, trying his best to remain passive and appear apathetic.

“Were we friends in the first place?” Y/N asked, folding her arms in front of herself protectively.

It was obvious from the way she said it that the question was really a million little questions packed into one. And Dante himself wasn’t quite sure what the true answer was to any of them. He didn’t expect to find what he did when Alpha sent him to Alexandria: two friends, Siddiq and Y/N. Surely the latter didn’t think of him as a friend anymore, and the look in Siddiq’s eyes in his final moments said everything. _It wasn’t supposed to happen like this._ Dante was supposed to infiltrate, learn what he could, push at their weak spots and then be welcomed back to the Whisperers when it all fell apart. But he got to know Siddiq, and then Y/N, and it made everything so much more complicated than it should’ve been.

“Was anything you’ve ever said to me actually real?” Y/N spoke a little louder this time, tensing up and afraid to hear the answer.

Dante carefully thought about how to respond and answered in a slow, quiet voice, “Things that I’ve said, they weren’t all true. But not everything was an act.”

He’s not supposed to feel anything, it’s not how the world works anymore. People are fundamentally brutal, cruel, and unkind. Alpha taught them how to survive in this new world by going back to the very basics of human nature. But the more time Dante spent at Alexandria, the more he began to question things. Y/N wasn’t cruel or unkind, though she could certainly be brutal when she needed to be, he’d seen as much whenever she took down walkers. Maybe Alpha was wrong. Or maybe Y/N, like him, had just been hiding her true nature. She must have an ulterior motive. She’s trying to prey on his weaknesses. Maybe his own feelings for Y/N weren’t real either, it was just his judgement being clouded by manipulation. _Right?_

“What about Siddiq? He thought you were his friend,” Y/N took a few steps forward.

“I liked Siddiq. He wasn’t supposed to die, but he found out who I was—“

“And what if it were me?” Y/N’s eyes began to water, and it took every ounce of strength she had to even look him in the eye.

“What if it had been me instead of Siddiq? Would you have killed me, too?”

Something about being asked that question felt deeply offensive to Dante. _Of course he wouldn’t!_ But…why not? Why was he so adamant in his head that he wouldn’t hurt her? If he’s not supposed to feel anything, and if she was just like any other regular person here, why was his automatic response to that question a combination of offence, shock, and sadness? Why does he care?

Dante shook his head frantically, taken aback, “N-No, I—“

“Why not? If everything was just bullshit, what difference does it make?” Y/N’s harsh tone almost made Dante flinch, and they both noticed it.

Dante definitely didn’t like the way it felt having her anger directed towards him, but he couldn’t understand why it was bothering him so much. He’s killed people before—everyone has, now—but he never felt bad about it. It’s just what people do. Siddiq was different, and Dante was strangely disappointed about having to kill him, but it needed to be done. But thinking about how things could have gone differently, that it could have been Y/N who found him out…the realisation that it was possible he would’ve had to kill her was jarring. The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind until that point, and he couldn’t picture himself being able to go through with it. Not even his loyalty to Alpha could make him do that. Not Y/N.

——

_“Open your eyes.”_

_Y/N woke with a jolt. Dante was kneeling next to her in his usual white doctor’s jacket, his face only a few inches from hers._

_“Jesus, Dante. Way to give a girl a heart attack,” She rubbed her tired eyes and laughed softly._

_“I guess I just have that effect on people, getting their hearts racing,” Dante said with a cheeky wink, earning a soft slap on the arm._

_Y/N had fallen asleep on the chair next to one of the beds in the infirmary. Rosita had mysteriously fallen ill along with a dozen or so others, and Y/N was very insistent on staying by her side. Rosita didn’t want to be doted on by any means, but she enjoyed the company._

_“Where’s Rosita?” Y/N asked, seeing the bed was now empty._

_“She was feeling a little better, decided to walk around for a bit. She didn’t wanna wake you,” Dante said._

_“You, on the other hand, have no problem disturbing my peaceful slumber,” Y/N said._

_“As adorable as you looked all curled up there, it was getting a little too quiet around here.”_

_Y/N sat up properly, stretching her aching limbs—whenever she did that, Dante thought she looked like a kitten waking up from a nap. Her mouth felt dry and she reached for the glass of water that Rosita had been sipping earlier._

_Before she could bring the glass to her lips, Dante had wrenched it out of her grasp._

_“The hell?”_

_Dante looked between her and the water with wide eyes, almost surprised at himself that he’d been so quick to intercept._

_“Uh…germs. Rosita’s sick, don’t want you to catch the bug,” Dante said quickly._

_“Okay,” Y/N shrugged._

_Dante stood to his full height and disappeared through a doorway, returning a minute later with a different glass of water for her. Y/N thanked him and took a few sips, noticing the troubled look on Dante’s face. His brown eyes stared off into space and his lips were pressed firmly into a straight line._

_“Hey, are you okay?”_

_His expression changed back to normal in the blink of an eye._

_“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Dante flashed a toothy grin._

_“You were looking pretty pensive there for a second,” Y/N said._

_Dante waved it off dismissively and extended a hand for Y/N to take, “Come on, Princess, let’s go for a walk.”_

_She accepted his hand and he pulled her up. They walked outside, soaking up the warm afternoon sunlight that rolled through the familiar streets of Alexandria. When she expected him to let go of her hand, he only held it tighter. She looked down at their hands intertwined and Dante followed her gaze, growing self conscious for just a flicker of a moment only for a smile to spread across his face._

_“What, friends can’t hold hands?” He said._

_“I didn’t say anything,” Y/N smiled, giving his hand a squeeze._

_“Looks like I won’t be letting go, then.”_

——

“ _No_. I wouldn’t hurt you. You know that,” Dante said.

“No, I don’t know that,” Y/N snapped.

A moment of silence followed and they stared each other down, neither one quite sure where to go from there. Dante was the first to break and he ripped his hands off the metal bars, pulling himself further away.

“Stop looking at me like that!” He cried.

Y/N furrowed her brows and watched as he paced the cell a few times before crumbling into the chair that sat in the middle of the room.

“Like what?”

Dante put his head in his hands and sighed, tugging harshly at brown locks of hair.

“Like you don’t know who I am.”

His voice cracked when he spoke. Either he was genuinely upset, or he was a really good actor. Y/N still wasn’t sure which one it was, but she cautiously walked towards the cell. Dante heard her footsteps and raised his head slightly to see what she was doing.

“You said you wanted to talk. I’m here, so what do you want?”

Dante shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t really know…I just wanted to see you.”

From what he’d seen, the Alexandrians—more specifically the council—were soft. They were probably arguing somewhere about ‘ _doing the right thing_ ’ and ‘ _going through the proper channels_ ’ and all that nonsense. Dante doubted that they would jump at the opportunity to murder him in cold blood so soon (even though it was obvious that they’d all do so more than happily). But, even though he might not be dying just yet, he knew full well it was probably coming. Some of the more gullible ones might want to try and ‘save’ him, but it was inevitable. They’d be stupid not to kill him now. He knew he was on borrowed time and in a moment of what he perceived as weakness, he asked to see her.

“Just be honest with me, please,” Y/N said, “Did you actually care about me or was it just part of some plan?”

Dante leaned back in the seat and sniffed, “No, I never planned on getting to know you. You weren’t part of it, neither was Siddiq. I did care. I do, but I wasn’t supposed to. It made it a lot harder to pretend around you.”

Y/N nodded. He sounded sincere, although given that he’d managed to fool them all for so long she might still be wrong.

“You’re messing with my head. I don’t think you even know how much,” Dante said as he stood back up, approaching slowly as if Y/N were a coiled snake that would strike at any moment. But she didn’t back away, and he took this as permission to step closer.

He reached a hand through a gap in the bars as far as he could manage with his wrists still bound, looking not unlike a kicked puppy, “Please.”

Y/N stood unmoving, trying to look for any hint of malice hidden in his expression. She was safe on the other side of the bars, and he wouldn’t be able to fully reach through anyway, but something in his eyes looked genuine, and she knew she had to believe him when he said he wouldn’t hurt her. Cursing her own judgment, she brought up her own hand to meet his. He immediately latched on, tangling their fingers together in what seemed to be a desperate attempt to be as close as possible.

With the close proximity Y/N could clearly see the bruises, some more fresh than others, accompanied by a cut on the cheekbone. Smears of partially dried blood coated one side of his face, either coming from the cut or from his nose, or more likely both. The corner of a bandage poked out from the collar of his shirt, covering a cut or stab wound, she couldn’t tell what it was. She knew he probably deserved it, but it still wasn’t nice to see.

Dante watched with curious eyes as Y/N lifted her other hand—the one he wasn’t clutching like a lifeline—and brought it up to his face. With featherlight touches, she traced her forefinger over some of the bruises, frowning at the deep red and purplish shades that were a stark contrast to his olive skin. He visibly relaxed at the contact and his head fell forward slowly to rest on the bars. Dante closed his eyes and sighed, leaning into her palm.

“I don’t know what to do,” Y/N said. This was a complicated mess of a situation she’d found herself in. She knew she shouldn’t like him so much, but the brain and the heart don’t always work in sync.

“I think…I just need some time to think,” Y/N suddenly felt overcome with emotions—thinking about Siddiq, and how Coco would never know his father, and feeling guilty that she somehow still cared about the very person responsible. Looking at Dante was just making it that much harder to think straight and she needed to be in a clear headspace.

“I—” Before Dante could even start, Y/N had pulled her hands away and was hurrying out of the room.

Daryl heard the door squeaking open and started walking over but Y/N, distraught and in need of her own space, brushed right past him without a word. She went straight back to her home, not even looking up from the ground because she didn’t want to see or talk to anyone just yet, especially not if they wanted to ask what she’d talked about with Dante.

The tea was still warm enough to drink when she returned but still, it did very little to ease her anxiety. For about forty minutes she stayed in her home, alternating between pacing and sitting down, even curling up in bed at one point, and more than a thousand possible courses of action ran through her head. She was pissed at Dante for obvious reasons. And of all the things he could be, why did he have to be a Whisperer? Maybe in an alternate reality Dante wasn’t a spy, and they were happily together in a relationship and Siddiq was alive and well. It was a nice fantasy, but pointless to spend time dwelling on.

Y/N thought about what was going to happen next. Either the council decides to punish Dante, execute him, or attempt to get through to him somehow. He definitely wouldn’t be going back to the Whisperers now, that’s for sure.

Even Y/N wasn’t entirely certain if he was redeemable or not. She knew she was no psychiatrist but it seemed like Dante did have some remorse for his actions, even if only a little. That’s something, at least, they could work with that. He’s not _too_ far gone. And the way he looked like he was internally at war with himself, it seemed as if he didn’t even know what was real and what wasn’t. Y/N remembered Carol telling her about what Lydia had said; Alpha twists people, she convinces them to do what she wants by making them believe that they want it, too. Perhaps that’s what happened with Dante. There was no sure way to tell yet, but after a lot of careful thinking Y/N decided he was worth fighting for. She may regret it some time down the line, and may very well end up entirely heartbroken. But if there’s any humanity left in him at all, then it’s worth trying.

She put the empty mug in the sink and headed back for the cells. Her hands were still shaky but she walked with much more intent this time. When Y/N walked into the room she saw that the cell was open, which was…odd.

She walked further into the room, and the next thing she noticed was blood. The smell was sharp and metallic, all too familiar and easily identified. There were sprays of it on the chair that Dante had been sitting in earlier, and splattered across the dirty concrete. Her eyes followed the trickles to the much larger pool that was slowly seeping across the floor towards her. She saw a body lying completely still and she gasped, turning away from the sight. She didn’t have to see the person’s face to know who it was.

Her legs began to shake and a feeling of utter dread took hold. Her throat burned, she felt like she was going to be sick. Y/N turned back towards the gory scene, refusing to look directly at his face yet, and slowly approached. The amount of blood escaping onto the floor alone was enough to know that he was gone. She looked at his torso—his shirt was completely soaked and clung to his skin, and numerous stab wounds were visible. It wasn’t just one or two. Whoever did this had to have stabbed him at least ten times over, probably more. More red was sprayed on the brick wall. _There’s so much blood._

Y/N had zoned out completely, she didn’t even realise that she was no longer standing. Her hands and knees were steeped in the pool of blood but she didn’t care enough to move away. She finally directed her unfocused gaze upwards towards Dante’s face. He stared back at her, glassy eyed and lifeless. Then he started to move.

Y/N sobbed as Dante began to reanimate. Her cries grew louder, filled with anguish, and the walker Dante began to move his arms about in an attempt to grab onto her. He snapped his teeth and clumsily sat up, and the movement made Dante’s shirt make a squelchy sound just from the sheer volume of blood it had absorbed.

He reached his arms out and grabbed onto Y/N, ready to lunge forward and tear into her flesh when an arrow shot through the air. The walker crumpled to the ground with a thud and Y/N felt like screaming at the sight of an arrow through Dante’s head.

Daryl rushed forward and lifted her up, pulled her into his chest and lead her outside. They went back to her home, and he almost ended up having to carry her. Daryl sat with her as she cried, rubbing her back and trying to comfort her, but he wasn’t really sure what he could say to make anything better. Y/N knew what Dante was, and what he had done, but there was still the smallest hint of a chance for him. And someone took that chance away.

—————

**A/N:** Okaaay well that certainly turned out much more angst than fluff .-.


	3. Daryl x Reader (feat. Dog): Stressed

_[The Walking Dead, Season 10] Daryl Dixon x Reader; requested_

**Summary:** Daryl walks in on something he wasn’t supposed to see.

 **Word Count:** 580  
  


———

Daryl was on edge—everyone was at the moment. With everything that’d been happening with Alpha and the Whisperers, Siddiq and Dante, and now with Carol and Lydia, he’d been more tired and stressed than usual. It felt like the combined weight of all of the issues had been dumped onto his shoulders but he would certainly never complain about it, he knew he wasn’t the only one with problems. If he kept going without any rest he’d burn out, so he headed back to his _domicile_ , as Eugene would call it. He hoped that you would be there, too. The last couple of days had been busy for both of you and you didn’t see a lot of each other.

Daryl entered the house with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. Carol was out somewhere and there was no sign of you yet.

He trudged up the stairs and stopped when he heard muffled talking. Just one voice that he knew was you, but he didn’t know who you were talking to.

“I love you so much, you are the best man in my life.”

Daryl frowned and almost turned the other way to leave right then and there. He didn’t hear the guy say anything back. Who the hell were you talking to?

He slowly ascended the remaining steps and walked over to the room you two shared. The door was closed but he could hear your voice more clearly now.

“You are the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to the world.”

_Ouch._

Daryl debated whether he should intervene or if he should leave already and stop torturing himself by listening to you tell some other guy, who wasn’t him, how much you loved him. He really didn’t need heartbreak on top of everything else.

“Me and your daddy love you very much.”

… _What?_

Daryl furrowed his eyebrows and quietly turned the handle, pushing it open just a fraction. Apparently you didn’t hear him because you kept talking to— _oh_. Of course. He should have known.

“You are the best woofer ever,” you sat on the bed with Dog sprawled out on your lap.

Dog’s tail wagged almost violently, hitting the bed covers with quiet little thumps. He was lying on his back and you scratched his belly, making kissy noises and talking to him.

Daryl couldn’t stop the smile that came as he watched Dog soak up your affection. It was sweet enough to melt even the iciest of hearts, and Dog looked at you like you were the most amazing person in the universe. Daryl agreed.

He pushed open the door the rest of the way and you jumped, whipping your head around to see him walk in.

“Daryl! I, uh, I was just…” you looked back at Dog, wondering how much of that embarrassing baby-puppy-talk Daryl had just witnessed.

Maybe he didn’t hear anything. _Act natural, Y/N._

He put his crossbow on the dressing table and kicked his shoes off, plopping down next to you on the bed. Dog happily greeted him and Daryl grunted with the impact of the canine jumping on top of him. You followed suit and laid down next to Daryl, brushing your hand through Dog’s fur.

“I didn’t think you’d be back so soon,” you said.

“Just had to relax for a while,” a small smirk appeared on his lips, “And I needed to catch you in the act.”

You groaned and hid your face in the pillow. Daryl smiled and rubbed your arm.

“Nah, don’t be embarrassed. It was cute.”

You looked up at Dog, sighing, “This is all your fault, you adorable little bastard.”


	4. Dante x Reader: Silence the Whispers

**Request(s):** _i loved your dante imagine!!! could you possibly write one where the reader is an Alexandrian and they’re dating Dante and instead of Siddiq finding out he’s a whisperer, the reader does? thank you sm!!!_

**+++** _I need some Dante from twd fluff. I just need it. Maybe where Dante tells the reader he loves her and about the plan but he can’t go through with it. Siddiqs alive and such_

 **Word Count:** 3.6k

 **Warnings:** Swearing, minor violence

———

You were walking through Alexandria with no particular destination in mind, just enjoying the peace and quiet—gotta enjoy that while you can with the way things were at the moment. The pebble you’d been kicking as you walked skidded into the gutter just as Daryl ran past. He did a double take and looked relieved when he realised it was you.

“There ya are. You know where Dante is?” Daryl asked.

“Yeah, why? Someone hurt or something?” You asked, knowing that Daryl didn’t really interact with Dante that much for non-medical purposes. He looked like he needed to be somewhere.

“Prisoner. Just tell Dante to get to the cells,” Daryl jogged off immediately after he finished his brief explanation, not waiting for an answer.

_Prisoner?_ Where’d they get a prisoner from? As you thought about who they’d possibly have to lock up, your eyes wondered to the yellow graffiti sprayed on one of the walls of Alexandria that hadn’t been washed off yet. ‘ _Silence the whispers_ ’.

You went straight to the infirmary, walking faster than before. When you got there you looked around but only saw two patients.

“He’s in there, dear,” a woman said, pointing to another room. She held a balled up cloth to a small cut on her forehead.

“Thank you,” you said, giving her a nod of gratitude. You walked to the room she’d directed you to and saw Dante preparing some sort of herbal remedy for one of the patients. He heard your footsteps and looked up, smiling wide.

“Well, if it isn’t the prettiest lady in town!” Dante put down the herb jars and wiped his hands on his coat. He made a grabby gesture, which he’d previously stated was his way of saying ‘come here and give me some love’.

You walked up to him and leaned up on your toes; he met you halfway by tilting his head down to press his lips to yours. Dante brushed his thumb over your cheek and smiled into the kiss. His beard tickled your face and you pulled away sooner than you usually would, making him pout.

“There’ll be plenty of time for that later but Daryl wants you now,” you said.

Dante sighed, “Everyone wants a piece…sorry Daryl, I only have eyes for this special lady.” He booped you on the nose with a twiggy herb of some sort and you grinned, shaking your head.

“No, you goof. He said something about a prisoner, they need you in the cells. He didn’t say anything else but I assume they’re injured,” you said.

Dante’s eyes darkened and he stared at you for a moment, looking rather calculating.

“Prisoner?”

“That’s what he said, yes. Do you think it’s one of, y’know…?”

Dante shrugged at your question and gathered some medical supplies into a bag, suddenly becoming quiet.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” he said.

You nodded and moved out of the doorway for Dante to pass through. He gave you a quick kiss on the forehead on the way out and left the infirmary, headed for the cells to tend to the prisoner.

———

Carol had given you a brief update of what had happened. Apparently, the prisoner was indeed a Whisperer. She and Daryl had found him in the woods and brought him back but she didn’t elaborate much more on the how or the why. They were hoping to question him to try and find out where Alpha’s horde was but the Whisperer died rather abruptly. Again, she didn’t elaborate, but from what you’d gathered it was an accidental death—whatever that means.

Siddiq had been pretty stressed lately, but you weren’t surprised. He hadn’t talked to you much about how he was doing but he didn’t seem _all there_ whenever you spoke to him. And on more than one occasion you’d witnessed him going through some sort of episode, where his breathing would get shallow and he’d have to ground himself and remember where he was. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Siddiq was probably suffering from post traumatic stress after what had happened after the fair.

You’d raised the subject with Dante once before when you were both in bed, getting ready to go to sleep. You expressed your concerns for his fellow doctor and he agreed that he’d noticed Siddiq’s current state, and told you about the times he’d had to take over for him in the infirmary when dealing with patients. Taking your advice, Dante talked to him about it and they seemed to have reached some sort of understanding, but Siddiq wasn’t looking too great right now.

From a few yards away, you watched as Siddiq ran towards the water and jumped in. You stopped walking and when he didn’t resurface for a few seconds you started to run over. Before you could get close enough Rosita jumped in after him and they reappeared above the water moments later. You quickly ran the rest of the way and held your hands out to help them up.

“Thanks,” Rosita looked at you, panting slightly.

Siddiq nodded a thanks to you, catching his breath. You gave him a pat on the shoulder and looked at Rosita, the both of you communicating with a glance a mutual agreement to keep an eye out for Siddiq.

“I’ll see you guys later, okay?” they nodded at you and you walked away, headed for your house.

———

The door downstairs opened and closed and you shut your book, leaving it on the desk. You walked down the stairs and saw Dante tugging off his white coat.

“Hey,” you said. Dante didn’t respond.

You gradually slowed your steps, coming to a stop once you reached him. He looked down at his feet, a sombre expression on his face.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” you asked, taking his hand and running your thumb over his knuckles comfortingly.

Dante mumbled something incoherent and roughly pulled his hand away, quickly walking up the stairs and not once looking up at you. This was very uncharacteristic of him, usually he’d greet you like he was some sort of Golden Retriever seeing it’s owner for the first time in years. But his silence and attitude towards you made your concern grow substantially. He was a bit quiet when he left to go see the prisoner, so maybe it had something to do with that.

You followed him up the stairs and found him sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, almost shaking.

“Woah, what’s going on?” you sat next to him and pulled his hands away from his face. He wasn’t quite crying but his eyes were red and watery, and he looked deeply stressed out by something.

“Does this have something to do with that Whisperer?” you asked. Something in what you’d said made Dante retreat, and he pushed your hands away from him, looking out the window to hide from your eyes.

“Dante, love, you’re really stressing me out here.”

He sighed deeply, shaking his head, “I’m not who you think I am.”

You put your hand on his shoulder, “What does that mean?”

Dante closed his eyes, taking a moment to really think it through. Once he told you he couldn’t take it back, and he had no idea what your immediate reaction would be.

“I’m with them,” Dante’s heart started beating so fast he thought he’d pass out.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”

“The Whisperers. I’m one of them. _Was_ , I mean…” he moved further away from you again and your hand fell from his shoulder.

You stayed silent, trying to digest what he’d just said. It sounded utterly ridiculous, it didn’t make any sense. Dante tried to ignore the queasiness and decided he may as well explain himself more now that it was out there.

“I wasn’t with them for long, I was only a new recruit. Alpha—she wanted me to come here cause she knew her kid wouldn’t recognise me. I was supposed to push at your weaknesses, encourage paranoia, that sort of thing. Alpha wanted me to weaken the community from inside so you’d all be too… _fractured_ to make good decisions.”

The more detail Dante provided, the more it dawned on you that he wasn’t just making one of his slightly inappropriate and poorly timed jokes. He was one of them. You wondered what you should do after hearing this. Should you…get a gun, for protection? _He wouldn’t try and hurt you, would he?_

“But…” Dante finally met your eyes, “…fuck that. I don’t wanna do it anymore. I’m done with it.”

He went to reach for your hand but thought better, stopping himself. You probably wouldn’t react too kindly to that sort of physical contact now.

“I used to think nothing mattered. Alpha encouraged that idea, told us that it was just the way we should be. She’d say that this whole apocalypse was just nature correcting itself, that the dead coming back to life was some sort of gift that would help bring humanity back to it’s roots. It’s taken me this long to realise what a load of shit that is,” Dante said.

You gulped and your mind started racing, but you kept coming up blank. You didn’t see any of this coming, you didn’t ever suspect that anything was fishy about your boyfriend. And apparently, neither did anyone else.

“I realised that there was no point to Alpha’s ideology. We were surviving, but for what? I came here, and I thought this place was just a cruel promise. I thought everyone here was just ignorant and blind, but getting to know you reminded me of what life used to be like. There was a point to everything, things made sense and I had a direction to go.”

Dante tried to figure out how you were feeling but you weren’t giving much away, he couldn’t read you in that moment. He decided to try his chances and hesitantly grabbed your hand, encasing it in his larger ones.

“So, yeah. I used to think nothing mattered. But you proved me wrong.”

———

“He’s what?!”

Before you could stop him Daryl had launched himself at Dante, roughly throwing him against the wall and punching him square in the jaw.

“Daryl, stop!” you yelled, trying in vain to pull him off of Dante.

Of course, Dante’s natural response to being thrown like a ragdoll and punched was to try and fight back but Daryl was seeing red, and fought much harder.

Gabriel and Aaron managed to wrestle Daryl off and Rosita stood behind Dante with her gun raised, a deadly look in her eyes. You helped Dante up and he groaned in pain, clutching his jaw.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Y/N. It was a reasonable reaction,” Dante said, glaring at Daryl anyway.

“You’re still with this asshole?” Daryl spat angrily, looking at you like you were stupid. Having Daryl’s anger directed at you was a truly terrifying ordeal, one that you hoped you’d never have to experience again after this.

“Would you just calm down and listen for a minute?” you said, getting frustrated.

Gabriel looked pretty frustrated himself, since he was the one who had interviewed Dante and welcomed him into the community. He let a spy into Alexandria, and he couldn’t understand how he’d been able to make such a huge mistake.

Aaron remained calm and collected, looking at Dante and trying to suss him out. Mary, the other Whisperer he’d talked to, didn’t seem like she was completely malicious. Perhaps Dante wasn’t, either.

“So, you’re a Whisperer. Why tell us?” Aaron asked.

Dante almost rolled his eyes, thinking that it should’ve been obvious, “Because I don’t want to be a part of it anymore. I thought places like this couldn’t exist but it’s here, and it’s thriving. Alpha had me fooled for a while, but not anymore.”

“So she sent you here to do what exactly?” Aaron asked.

“To infiltrate and sabotage the community in any way I could. She’d give me instructions and—”

“Instructions?” Rosita interrupted.

Dante nodded.

“Like what? How was she contacting you?” Gabriel asked.

Everyone looked at Dante for answers, all baffled at how he’d managed to go undetected for so long.

“We had a spot out in the woods where we’d leave notes. I haven’t been out there in a while, she’ll know something’s wrong,” Dante sounded a little worried.

From what you knew about Alpha, she probably wouldn’t handle betrayal too well. If she knew Dante had had a change of heart, then he would be in a lot of danger if he stepped outside the walls.

“It was you with the damn paint, wasn’t it?” Daryl asked. His rage had mellowed a bit but he wasn’t feeling any less hatred towards Dante.

Dante nodded and you realised that Daryl was referring to the ‘silence the whispers’ graffiti that had been popping up around Alexandria. It’s not good, but _damn, Dante was sneaky_ ; you stayed in the same bed every night and you never once noticed him disappearing to go vandalise the community.

“The latest instruction was to compromise your water source.”

Everyone tensed up and stared at Dante with wide eyes and Daryl was close to socking him for a second, third, fourth and fifth time.

“No, no, I didn’t do it, though. The water is fine,” Dante clarified and everyone visibly relaxed.

Aaron nodded and at the same time Gabriel seemed to realise something.

“The prisoner. You killed him,” Gabriel guessed, eyes wide.

Dante coughed and avoided the stares, effectively proving the accusation to be correct. He’d told you about that already so you weren’t shocked to hear it a second time. Luckily for him, aside from some slight annoyance nobody was too bummed about the prisoner’s death.

“Pedazo de mierda,” Rosita muttered, still intent on keeping her gun aimed at Dante.

Dante ignored Rosita’s comment and looked at Aaron, Gabe and Daryl, “You don’t have any reason to believe a word that comes out of my mouth, I get it. But I’m not one of them anymore.”

Nobody said anything, obviously not convinced by Dante’s word alone.

“I trust him.”

The group was surprised by the confidence and certainty with which you made that statement, even Dante.

“Y/N—” Gabriel started.

“I know it sounds crazy but I do. And don’t act like there’s never been anyone in the past who’s switched sides. Dwight helped us win the war with Negan and Tara was with the Governor before she was with us,” you said. Aaron nodded at your words, thinking it over in his head.

“Yeah and she’d still be here if it weren’t for his people,” Daryl said, pointing at Dante.

Dante looked downward regretfully, “Look, I’m sorry for what you’ve lost, but they’re not my people anymore. I can help you. I wasn’t there for long but I might be able to tell you where the horde is.”

“You ‘might’ be able to?” Rosita asked.

“I don’t know if the spot I’m thinking of is precise, or if it’s changed since I’ve been here. It wasn’t my job to watch the horde when I was there but I can tell you everything I know,” Dante said.

Daryl and Rosita were still hesitant to listen to Dante but Gabriel and Aaron looked rather intrigued by his offer, and they exchanged a look as if silently trying to agree on what they should do.

“We’ll talk to the others and think about this. But in the meantime, I think it’ll make us all feel a little better if you were somewhere secure,” Aaron said, looking around at everyone as he spoke.

After wrapping up the meeting in the infirmary, if you could even call it a meeting, Dante was taken to the cell by Aaron with you walking a few steps behind. Dante complied with everything and went into the cell, and Aaron locked it behind him. As he turned around to leave he put a hand on your shoulder and leaned down to your ear.

“This isn’t just for us. He’ll be safe in here,” Aaron said, giving you a nod to gauge if you understood what he was getting at.

You nodded back and Aaron left. He was right, as soon as more people started hearing that Dante was a Whisperer—or _ex_ -Whisperer—some might want to…pay him a visit. This was as much about ensuring Dante’s safety as it was everyone else’s.

There was a chair in the room, pushed right up against the far back wall. You grabbed it and brought it closer to the bars, taking a seat and crossing your arms. Dante sat in the chair inside the cell and copied your sitting position.

“You sure you wanna be in here with me?” he asked.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged and looked off to the side where the sunlight came through the small window.

“I’m probably not the cool kid in school anymore. Might ruin your reputation if you’re seen hanging around me now,” he said, almost sadly.

“I was never that popular in school, anyway.” Dante smiled at your words and looked back over at you.

“Oooh, someone likes me,” he said teasingly.

“Well I’d hope so, seeing as we’ve been together for a good couple of months,” you said.

His smile remained for a few moments before he grew more serious.

“Why do you trust me?”

“Are you telling me that I shouldn’t?” you raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m not saying that, it’s just…I don’t know why, even after I told you the truth…why you’re still here.”

You shrugged and picked at a hangnail.

“I don’t know. It’s just one of those things, y’know? Call it gut instinct, I guess,” you said, a smile creeping onto your face, “and something tells me that you kinda like me too.”

“Yep, you got me there,” Dante said.

You went silent, deep in thought. Dante looked quite content at the moment, relieved that after coming clean, he’d freed himself of the heavy burden he’d been carrying on his shoulders—and also relieved that you hadn’t given any indication you wanted to end your relationship with him. But, of course, there was just one more thing to consider before the end of the day.

“What about Siddiq?” you asked.

Dante shifted uncomfortably. Siddiq was at the barn, and so was he. Not only was he there, but he was the one who Alpha made hold Siddiq in place. He was the one who’d held Siddiq’s eyes open while his friends were killed right in front of him. Dante didn’t do any killing himself that day but he played a part in it nonetheless, he was not just a bystander. He fucked up royally, he could recognise that now, but Siddiq might never want to speak to him again after finding out.

“There’s, uh, something else you should know about,” Dante said.

“What do you mean ‘something else’? Was the first piece of news not enough?” you asked. Dante looked down at the ground and you sighed; you didn’t mean to give him a hard time but this wasn’t easy on you either.

“I was at the barn. When it—you know…”

_Barn…? Oh, right._ Siddiq mentioned that it happened at a barn a while ago, but you’d almost forgotten.

You sat up straighter, “Okay, but if you were with the group then that was sort of a given already, right?”

Dante tilted his head to the side and frowned, “Not exactly. Not everyone was there. I think another reason Alpha chose me to come here was because of what I did that night. She probably saw it as a sign of loyalty or obedience.”

Your heart dropped and you stared at Dante, fearing the worst: that not only did he used to be a Whisperer, but he killed one or more of your friends with his own two hands.

“You—what you did? What did you…” you fumbled your words.

“I didn’t kill anybody, if that’s what you’re thinking. But I made him watch,” Dante said quietly.

You considered the new information and tried to figure out what to make of the situation now. From a broader perspective, it didn’t really change things. But for Siddiq, it could mean a lot more. It was probably a good thing that Dante chose to reveal this extra bit of information to you in private. If he’d said this in front of the others, it may have just been the straw that broke the camel’s back and you were pretty sure Daryl would have _really_ lost his shit.

“What do you want to do, then?” you asked.

Dante looked at you in surprise, pointing to his chest, “What do _I_ wanna do?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”

You nodded slowly, “Maybe we should just keep this from the others for now. But Siddiq may figure it out on his own at some point. It’s probably better that you’re honest with him now, instead of allowing things to fester and then blow up later.”

Dante thought you were probably right, you usually were about these things, but he was apprehensive about talking to Siddiq.

“Hey, if your girlfriend can accept it then I’m sure your boyfriend can, too,” you smirked. Thankfully that got a chuckle out of Dante.

“I can be there when you talk to him, if you want. It might make it easier,” you said.

Dante nodded, “Thanks, Y/N.”

“Is that everything now? If there’s anything else you need to say, now’s the time.”

“Just one more thing,” he stood up, walking up to the bars of the cell and stopping in front of you, “I don’t know if I was entirely honest when I said I liked you. I think it’s a lot more than that, but I—I don’t know what that means, exactly, and I—”

“It’s okay, I understand,” you said with a smile. He looked like he was struggling to express himself and you didn’t want to make him feel pressured to say anything he wasn’t ready to say yet. But he didn’t really _need_ to say it, because you could already feel it. Up until now you’d both moved rather quickly in your relationship but three months nowadays is a lot longer than three months before the world ended. The same amount of time feels so different now, because everyone knew that it was a blessing to last even one day. You’d all started to cherish your time so much more than you used to, and it didn’t make sense to worry about ‘moving too fast’ in a relationship because, realistically, anyone could go at any time.

It was only an unspoken understanding for now, but eventually Dante would work up towards saying ‘I love you’, and you’d say it back when that day came.


End file.
